Meherbaan (Hinglish) [Book 1]

2 | Marjaani

"After waking up from the dream that was you, the morning of reality feels so empty." - Empty, Winner.

Subramanian Reddy, did not really like the fact that the woman he has loved for almost twenty one years had found a new lover. Correction: he hated the fact that Ishita had "moved on". In his mind, if he had it, it still was him in his Rajnikant avatar going up to her and demanding her love and she like a Meena Kumari draped in a Kanjivaram saree crying as she accepted him whole heartedly. Wasn't she that? Wasn't that what his mother told him even yesterday, that Ishita still stood by her window pining for him. Giving up Ishita wasn't an easy decision, but putting his love for her against all the hardships his parents faced to bring him up, his respect for his parents took priority. All his parents ever asked for was an heir from from their favorite son. An heir to continue their bloodline. "You can marry her after you give us an heir, son," they had said. They had even promised him that they would accept Ishita whole heartedly. It was the day that he met Ishita six years post their breakup that he realised that if he had to win her back he had to fasten his line of thought. He had seen her crestfallen face followed by her mother's announcement that Ishita had moved on and she now, had a new man in her life. He refuses to believe that. The Ishita who had grown up loving him couldn't move on.

The cell phone was soon snatched from Subbu' hands. As it passed on from one person to another finally reaching Ishita's 21 year old cousin who proceeded to scream. "Chuuuppp!!! [Suuussshhh!!]"

Then the cousin in question stood on a nearby chair. "Akka. Kya baat hai, jiju ka phone itni jaldi.. Bahut besabri hai kisiko. Waise bhi, Photo badi acchi hai." [Sister, what's the deal, yo. It's my brother in law calling. Someone's really impatient. Anyways, this is a really good picture.]

Ishita tried getting hold of her phone only to have it passed a hand from one person to another, finally giving up she looked up to the her cousin, pouted and muttered, "Feel free to talk to that Kud Kud Kumar. I have no interest in talking to him. He'll just start nagging like a bored housewife."

"Did you just say something, sharma mat, we can't hear you."

"Pass the phone, iske pehle ki woh meri class lele."

"Did you hear that? jiju iski class lega, toh class le lene do na, badi romantic hi hogi. Shahrukh jaise jiju mila hai, apna Raj toh bana le. Karle akka, shudh desi romance."

The cousin winked as she received the call and placed it on loudspeaker, "Oye, Madrasan!" Raman's voice echoed through the room. Ishita snatched the phone, switched the call back to handset mode.

"Ji, Raavan Kumar, boliye." She spoke extra sweetly into the handset.

"Suna hai, your daughter had beaten up two boys twice her size."

"Nahi, Ishima. Can your cute si Ru beat such big boys?"

"Ruhanika!" came a stern voice from the other end. Ishita could imagine her baby pout.

"Kyun meri beti ko daant rahe ho Raavan Kumar? [Why are you scolding my daughter, Raavan Kumar?]"

See, Ishima agrees with me. You should be proud of your daughter that she can defend herself."

"So, you agree that you did beat them up, Ruhanika?"

"Haaw, no papa! How could you accuse your darling daughter of such a brave thing. I have you to beat up people for me, like you do for Ishima. My superpapa."

Ishita smiled at the father-daughter conversation going on at the other end of the call, who would have thought that these two didn't even speak to each other less than a year ago. She pictured her daughter opposite Raman, her tiny hands on her hips as she puffed away her fringe whole Raman glared at her. They were so similar.